


Part and Parcel

by newyorktopaloalto



Category: Fruits Basket - Takaya Natsuki (Manga)
Genre: Catboys & Catgirls, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Secrets, so you put them in a box?, weapoized kittens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-16
Updated: 2019-08-16
Packaged: 2020-09-02 06:56:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20271805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/newyorktopaloalto/pseuds/newyorktopaloalto
Summary: Tohru stumbles upon an interesting scene.





	Part and Parcel

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ConvenientAlias](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConvenientAlias/gifts).

> Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket, so please don't sue
> 
> I really hope you enjoy this, and I'm so glad that I matched to you on this exchange!

“Kyo?”

Kyo didn’t look up from his staring contest with the kitten in front of him, silently willing the small creature to do as he silently demanded. 

“What are you doing?” 

“He’s in training.” 

From his peripheral vision, he saw Tohru fold herself into a criss-cross position next to the box where the other three kittens were sleeping. 

“Don’t take them out, they’re in trouble.” 

“So you put them in a box?” Tohru asked, and she sounded so confused that Kyo couldn’t help but to finally look up at her. 

“They’re in trouble,” Kyo reiterated. 

“But won’t they just climb out?” 

“Why don’t you just shut up, huh? They’re going to be my guard cats - they know better than to climb out.” 

And then, as though to make a point, one of the kittens leapt out of the box in order to wander over to the kitchen to get some food. 

“Traitor,” Kyo growled. 

“Everyone else has actual control over their animals,” he said, not even trying to stop the other two kittens from following their sibling. “And this is what I get.

“I could’ve had a little army.” 

“You’re going to turn them into weapons?” 

Kyo shrugged and grudgingly picked up the only kitten still in the room. “Only against people I hate.” He paused. “Not that it matters now, they’re useless.” 

“Well, you just have to use honey,” Tohru said, slapping her fist against her open palm in conviction - she winced a little at the force of her own exuberance, and Kyo bit back a smile. 

“I don’t think cats eat honey,” he finally said, and only after he realized that she wasn’t going to further explain. The kitten in his lap butted his head against Kyo’s hand, and he started to idly scratch between his ears. 

“No, I mean like what you’re doing now.” 

He blinked at her. 

“Like the saying ‘you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.’ Mom told me about it when I was little. So if you don’t punish them, but reward them when they do something right - maybe they’ll listen to you then.” 

She nodded as though that solved all of Kyo’s problems, and in a way he supposed that it did. Except… 

“You think I could teach them to use tiny ninja stars?” 

Kyo grinned at Tohru’s frozen expression. “I’m joking. Mostly. But it’d be useful.” And then, as though in agreement with his words, the kitten in his lap gave a loud ‘meow’. “And Number One wants to.” 

“You named him Number One?” 

“They’re all numbered,” Kyo explained, a little defensive despite knowing that Tohru’s inquiry was mostly just mild curiosity. “I’ll name them once they establish more personality.” 

“That’s a very considerate idea, Kyo,” Tohru said earnestly, not seeming to hear - or simply choosing to ignore - his scoffed ‘no it’s not.’ 

The two of them were silent for awhile, watching as the other kittens all wandered back into the room and plopped themselves around where he and Tohru were sitting. 

“I’ve never had a pet before.” And Kyo didn’t know why that had come out of his mouth, that stupid secret that in the scheme of things shouldn’t matter at all, but somehow mattered the most. 

“I accidentally killed my pet fish. Three times.” 

“What?” Kyo asked blankly, the swirling thoughts in his head dissipating at Tohru’s blurted admission - he put up a hand at Tohru’s sudden panicked back pedaling. 

“The same fish?” 

Tohru blinked, before she seemed to understand what Kyo meant. “N-no! Different fish. Same week, though.” 

“What happened?” he asked, morbidly interested in how Tohru had managed that. 

“I put salt in the first one, thinking that the fish needed that. The second one, I think it was the rainwater we used, and the third -”

“Didn’t want to suffer a terrible fate, so it just up and died?” Kyo interrupted. 

“I think it was sick when we got it.” 

“I'm sure it was,” Kyo agreed, willing to let the matter go after she had pulled him out of his encroaching funk. 

“Now, what should I teach them first?” 

“How about…” She mulled his question over with focus, and Kyo almost regretted asking her if she was going to self-combust due to over-thinking. 

“Oh! Teach them how to roll over.” 

“That’s for dogs!” Kyo protested. “And anyway, how will that help them learn to fight?” 

“Oh, you’re right,” Tohru said, and he felt himself get a little angry at how deflated she looked. 

“I suppose,” he started, trying to think up a way that rolling over would help their training, “it could be a diversion tactic. For the others to sneak attack.” 

“Yes, that sounds wonderful!” 

Kyo suspected that with Tohru helping him train Numbers One through Four, the weaponization of his kitten army would take him longer than expected. Her excited, 'I wonder if you can talk with them when you're transformed and maybe become their leader? And then when you turn back they continue to follow you around because you... smell the same? Maybe?' didn't help that suspicion in any way whatsoever.


End file.
